Improvement in cotton and hay-presses



To all whom tt 'may concern:

insite-d tstt JAMES r. Hannon, or ATLANTA, cnoncrA.

Letters Patent No. 107,371, dated September 13,1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON .AND HAY-PRESSES.

The Schedule referred to in these' Letters Patent and making part, ofthe same.

Be it known that I, JAMES 1. HERRON, of Atlante, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Graduated Press for Oottou, Hay, 825e.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making part of this specification, in whichl Figure 1 is a side elevation, and

Figure 2 is an end View of my graduated press.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 4 is a section ou the line a: x of fig. 1,`and

Figures 5 and 6 show a part in detail, i

rlhe nature of my invention consists- First,in giving to the box or case, in which the bale is formed, a swinging or'oscillating movement,

-ou trunuions attachedto its sides, by meansofa change of the center of gravity of the box, effected by theprocess of filling and pressing, and in connecting the box or case with a `scale-bcam for the purpose of insuring uniformity in the weight of the bales.

Second, in giving to the follower a gradually-increasing degree of pressing force, without decreasing therate of speed of the driving-wheel or pinion, vand in saving time by retracting the follower at a rate of speed many times greaterthan that at which itwas driven in to perform its oliice.

. In the drawing- A A is the frame supporting the working parts of my' graduated press.

B is the box or case, which receives the matter to be pressed. I p

This box is hung upon truunions a a, figs. 1 and 2, so that it may oscillatc between the positions shown in figs. 1 and 3.

A latch-pin, b, also projects from each side of the box, near its receiving end, which will pass over and rest on hooks c, at the short end of the lever or scalebeam C, having its fnlcrum on the knife-edges d, figs. l, 2, and 3.

When the box B assumes the ,vertical position at first, the'pins b will rest on the hooks c c while they are in the position shown in iig. 3, and the scale-beam (l is up, as shown by dotted linesin this figure, being supported by .the bar D,'gs. 1, 2, 3. The trnnnions a, a are supporting the weight of the boxB in their beaiings.

The scalebeam G is loaded with a weight sufficient to balance the box, and the material required for a bale, and between this weight and the fuloruni of the lever is another and smaller weight, to compensate for the weight of the hand who ypacks the box.

When the bar D is removed from under the scalebeam, the weight on the beam lifts the box, so that its trunnions are clear from their bearings, as vseen in g. 1, and the box is suspended from the hooks c,the'

lever C beingdown on a'shoulder of the bar D, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

rlhe bottom of the box Bis provided with a door, 4P, hinged at q, which, with a portion of the twoI longer sides of the box, is constructed with openings 'r fr, for

the purpose of passing the bands around thebale' while it is in the box, and before the pressure is re moved. flhe door P, which is shown in its open po sition by' dotted linesin fig. 1, may be held shut by a common latch, which will be readily disengaged' when it is required to have the door open. I

When the box B turns down, as in ig.,3, the bottom turns up, so that the door P comes up, with its edges against the braoing-beamss t, firmly attached to `and crossing the frame A, so as to' enable the door to resist the thrust of the follower. The upper brace s serves asa platform to stand ou while the press is working. I

The bar D may be so arranged-as .to be thrust out -lfrom under the scale-beam C, bythe box- B itself', as

it rises to a vertical. position,'and to give Way to the beam,-and pass under it,.wl1en Ithe weight of the box and its charge causes the scale-beam to rise, as seen in dotted lines in iig. 3, in a manner to -be hereafter explained. A

A vertical shaft, E, to beturned 'by horse or other power, carries a pinion, F','and one-half of a clutch or gland, d. 4

l1t passes loosely, so astoslide freely up and down,

vthrough the eye of the 4spur-'wheel G, on the under sideot' which is the other half of the `clutch al.

A collet, e, is also made upon the shaft E, by which it may be lifted to couple the clutch through the lever and yoke f, in a manne-r well known to machinists and inill-wrights.

The weight of the shaft E is sufficient to uncouple the clutch d, when the latch f is unhooked from the -bottom of the beam A, as shown in fig. 4.

The pinion F is so set on the shaft E as to engage with the spur-wheelH when the shaft E is down, and to be above and, clear of this wheel when the shaft is up and the clutch is coupled.

The spur-gear H is fast on the shaft I, which also carries at its top the pinion K, which is constantlyengaged with the spur-wheel G.

lt will be evident that the relative degrees vof speed at which the pinions F K and the wheels Gr H revolve, (that of theshaft E being constant,) will be greatly changed by coupling or uncoupling the clutch d. The two positions of the gears are shown in figs. 1 and 3.

On t-he shaft I is secured fast a volute or fusee, L,

having teeth or gear-cogs formed on its winding face,

as shown distinctly in figs. 5, 6, whiehare views at right angles with eaclrother of the same device. The

teeth gradually increase in size and strength from the curve of greatest radius to the curve of least radius, at` the top of the fusee, and the width of the spiral fac'e, or the length of the facesof the teeth, also increases proportionately.

M is an arm, to one end of which is attached the follower 0, in such a manner that the arm may be allowed a slight degree o f vibration from the socket in which itis received' by the follower. This arm has a rack on that side which is next to the cogged fusee L, the .teeth of which gradually increase in size and strength, .from the end next the follower toward the 'other extremity, to correspond with the teeth of the fusee L, with which they also agree in number'. This graduation of the teeth is for the purpose of compensating for the increase of resistance to the follower, as the follower progresses in its work of reducing the bulk of the matter in the box B.

l The opposite side of the arm from the rack is 'incIined, to correspond with a line passing from the lowest to the highest upper corner of the teeth of the fusee L, as s een in iig. 6; and the teethof the rack are kept engaged with those of the fusee, as it rises, by an inclined beam or knee, N, shown in fig. 4, as attached to the frame-work ot the press.

The teeth of the rack on the arm M are covered, ou their upper ends, by a flange, g, extending the whole length of the rack, and which is intended to be the support by which the arm shall hangen the winding ends of the teeth of the fusee L, as it turns and drives the rack, (see iig. 6.)

The end of the arm M furthest from the follower O is provided with a friction-roller, h,'for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

Q is a cam, attached to the fusee at its upper or smallest, part, or it maybe made -in one piece-with the fusee. This cam is so formed that, when its curve of least radius begins to act, it does so with consider-` Ytliepurpose of lessening the friction when the cam Q is brought into action against the follower O.

W'hen this is retract-ed, and is in the position shown in fig. l1, it rests on a platform, t, extending across the frame A A, and the rack on the arm M is horizontal, or nearly so, and is engaged with the teeth of the lowest part of the fusee L.

As the follower is driven into the box, the arm M and its rack rise with the turns of the fusee until the follower is home. In its reach it has been made to rise a distance equal to half the perpendicular rise of the arm M at -its line of contact with the fusee, and this is done by hanging the box B by its trunnions, so that it will have a corresponding slope when it is swung down, as in fig. 3, after being loaded and weighed. In this waythe vibration of the arm H, in its socket in the follower O, is divided and lessened.

The cross-tie t" supports the end of the box B when down, as in fig. 3.-

'lhe operation of my graduated press is as follows, viz.:

lhe box B is brought to the position of iig. 1, its door closed and latehed, aud the support D moved from under the scale-beam O, which, with its weight for cotton and man, falls, lifting the box so that it hangs on the hooks c c, by the pins b. It is now filled The box turns by the preponderence of weight above its trunnions a, and falls into the position shown in fig. 3, while the follower is as seen in fig. 1. Power is nowapplied to the shaft E, which is down in its step, and uncoupled at the clutch d, with the wheel G. The pinion F turns the wheel and shaft H I, and, with them, the fusee L, driving thearm M and follower O at a rate of speed which decreases as the fusee turns and the radii become less, consequently increasing the power as the resistance becomes greater, until the bale is reduced to the size required for this operation. If `it be desired to compress the bale after the follower O has gone as far as the rack on the arm M will permit, the cam Q is brought with its curve of shortest radius against the friction-roller h. at .the end of thel arm, and is then revolved until (its action becoming less and less rapid till it ceases) thebale is reduced to the required size. The bale is now bound, and otherwise secured, and the door? is unlatched. ,The lever fis depressed and latched, throwing the pinion F out of gear, and the shaft E into gear with the wheel G, and the shaft E being revolved causes the wheel G to turn the pinion K, giving a rapid retrograde movement to the fusee L, which as rapidly draws the follower O out,of-thewbox B. The box is now heaviest at the bottom, where the bale is. It therefore turns on its trunnions as soon as itis free vf rorn the follower', and rises to a vertical position; thepins b pass over the hooks c c; the prop D is thrust out from under the scale-beam; the bale drops from the bottoni of the box, and the scale-beam, with its weights, falls, lifting the box ou the hooks c e, to receive a new charge after the door I is shut and latched.

It will be seen that, after the first lbale is pressed,

the action of the box in discharging the bale, and preparingitself for the follower, is entirely automatic, so long as the operation of bale-making is continued.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The. arrangement, herein shown, of the oscilla'ting box B, provided wit-h trunnions c ct and latchpins b, in the mannerV and for the purpose set forth.

2. The oscillating box B, constructed and arranged as herein set forth, in combination with a scale-beam, C, and weights, substantially as described.

3. The graduated cogged fusee L and rack M, having teeth, which gradually increase iu size and width from line of contact at the end of greatest radius of fusee to same line at the end of the least radius, as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The cogged fusee L and cam Q, in combination with the rack M, operating substantially as set forth.

5. The cogged fusee and rack, constructed as described, in combination with the pinions F K, wheels G H, shaft E, shipper ff', and clutch ll, or its equivalent, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The door P, in combination with the beams s `t and pivoted box B, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

. JAMES I. HERRON. lVitnesses:

GUY C. HUMPnnIns, J. 11,-Hnnnox. 

